Energy Star: Housing Center's 6th Designation

by Joel Barkman

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has earned a sixth ENERGY STAR designation for the National Housing Center, the downtown Washington, D.C., office building that serves as the association's headquarters.

The designation recognizes buildings that conserve natural resources while providing a comfortable and healthy environment for employees, tenants and visitors.

Since the building was significantly expanded and renovated in 2001, the Housing Center's property manager has continued to fine-tune the details of the original energy-efficient construction project. Close attention to the operation and maintenance of the building is the key to holding the line on energy use and utility costs, said NAHB Chief Executive Officer Jerry Howard.

"NAHB's position has long been that to make a significant dent in our nation's energy use, we need to focus on existing buildings," Howard said. "These improvements demonstrate how we put these values into practice."

To earn the Housing Center's sixth designation engineers installed a control system to turn off restroom heaters after hours and added more occupancy sensors for lesser-used areas of the building - much like the occupancy sensors that I have installed in some of my clients' ENERGY STAR certified homes. It seems that similar features are becoming more popular these days.

The Housing Center's staff also regularly inspects and performs preventive maintenance on the heating and air conditioning equipment used in the building to optimize its performance and prolong its life. The efforts that earn the Housing Center's continued ENERGY STAR designations save money and energy while they also send a strong message regarding housing industry support for voluntary energy guidelines.

NAHB has also made landscaping improvements around the building, adding more plants and greenery to help absorb storm water runoff and keep it out of the city's drainage system - not an ENERGY STAR requirement, but another way to reduce the National Housing Center's impact on the environment.

"Many of our members build homes with appliances, windows, doors, and heating and cooling systems that meet the ENERGY STAR guidelines. In fact, more than a million ENERGY STAR homes have been built since the program started. The vast majority were constructed by our members, who build 80 percent of the nation's homes," Howard noted. "These home builders' business practices show that NAHB members are at the forefront of green building - and that's reflected in how we operate our national headquarters."

A plaque recognizing the ENERGY STAR achievement will be posted near the building's entrance and will replace similar plaques installed in previous years. Serving as a reminder that energy efficiency is an ongoing effort and not just a badge for new projects - our existing buildings should be the main focus.

Every renovation project that my team and I are working on is another opportunity to improve our existing home stock and the ENERGY STAR program is one that we are proud to be a part of. Whether it's an energy efficient lighting package, new windows and doors, a new AC unit or water heater, or upgraded insulation and weather sealing, we strive to incorporate energy and resource efficiency into all of our homes.

So when it comes to your next ENERGY STAR project, just "Ask a Builder."

As always e-mail your questions or comments to joel@goldenrulebuilders.com or write to "Ask a Builder" at P.O. box 294, Catlett, VA 20119.

Barkman is past president of the Fauquier Chapter of The Northern Virginia Building Industry Association.

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